New evidence complicates debate over sucralose safety

The 2023 study focused on sucralose-6-acetate, a chemical related to sucralose that may occur as an impurity during production. Researchers found the substance in commercial samples at concentrations of up to 0.67%.

“Our new work establishes that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic,” researcher Susan Schiffman said when the study was published. “We also found that trace amounts of sucralose-6-acetate can be found in off-the-shelf sucralose, even before it is consumed and metabolized.”

Laboratory tests on human cells showed signs of DNA damage. Researchers also found that sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate affected the intestinal barrier in laboratory models.

“When we exposed sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate to gut epithelial tissues … we found that both chemicals cause ‘leaky gut,’” Schiffman said.

However, these experiments were conducted outside the human body and did not show that eating sucralose causes DNA damage or intestinal disease in people.

A 2026 reassessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reached a different overall conclusion. The agency said sucralose remains safe when used under its currently authorized conditions and retained the acceptable daily intake of 15 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.

The EFSA review also questioned whether chemicals detected in earlier animal experiments were necessarily produced during digestion, noting they could have already been present as impurities.

A separate study published in August 2026 found no overall evidence of genotoxicity from commercial-grade sucralose in a range of laboratory and animal tests.

Scientists continue to study other possible effects of sucralose, including its influence on appetite, metabolism and compounds that may form when the sweetener is exposed to high temperatures.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that scientists had named a newly identified genus of Australian plant-feeding insects after Grammy-winning singer Taylor Swift.